Chapter Sixty: The True Mastermind Behind the Scenes

Charizard's dignity had utterly vanished...

Chen Ou patted Charizard on the shoulder, wearing a look of solemn condolence.

He truly felt that Charizard was having a miserable day... After finally evolving and gaining the ability to fight back, it was immediately knocked out by a simple, two-move combo right to the face...

Who could possibly withstand that?

But since Charizard’s battle had already ended, Chen Ou thought it was time to bring his own fight to a close as well.

"Growlithe, finish this quickly. Don’t torment her anymore..." Even Chen Ou felt that Growlithe’s tactics were excessively cruel, perfectly embodying the sixteen-word mantra of guerrilla warfare.

Growlithe heard Chen Ou’s command, looked up with tongue lolling and eyes wide, and barked once. Then, it cast a Morning Sun to heal itself, flames ignited around its body, and it rolled forward as a blazing wheel.

The Froslass, already completely exhausted, stared at the fire wheel—now two or three times larger than before. For some reason, she felt a sense of relief in her heart. With her partner already lying defeated, she had no will left to resist.

Tired... Let it end...

And so, after the enhanced fire wheel struck, this regular Froslass lost the ability to battle as well. Thus, this sudden, hard-fought, and quietly concluded battle came to an end.

Chen Ou had achieved a resounding victory: not only had he escaped danger, but he had also gathered intelligence on the Masked Organization, captured one of its members alive, and witnessed his Charmander’s evolution...

A perfect harvest.

He recalled the dejected Charizard, looking as if it had suffered lasting psychological trauma, and the smug, tongue-lolling Growlithe, both back into their Poké Balls. He also tapped Entei’s Poké Ball, signaling reassurance.

After Entei responded with a gentle shake of its Poké Ball, Chen Ou turned his attention to Xue—or rather, Ruixin—who sat on the ground, eyes vacant, hair disheveled, and clothes in disarray. He shook his head with a helpless sigh.

He crouched down and removed Xue’s mask, turning it over in his hands with a click of the tongue in admiration.

Well crafted, pleasant to the touch, top quality. Her stockings had multiple holes, yet the mask hadn’t even chipped at the edges.

...The comparison might be a bit odd, but whatever...

Looking at Xue’s delicate features, Chen Ou had to admit she truly was quite pretty.

Pity about her mouth, though...

She looked so pitiful, as if her world had collapsed; Chen Ou could only shake his head again and help tidy her clothes and hair.

It must be noted that Chen Ou was a proper gentleman—just like all of you reading this story...

Xue looked up at him in a daze, lips trembling but no sound emerging.

Really gone mute? That would be a blessing for the world, Chen Ou thought with a hint of mischief.

But thoughts were thoughts; actions were another matter. With a serious face, he said, "You’re now my captive. I have the right to execute you on the spot or bring you to justice. I’m going to ask you some questions. If you answer satisfactorily, I’ll arrest you, spare your life, and guarantee you won’t be killed by your own organization’s assassins."

Xue remained hollow-eyed, but after hearing his words, gave a dazed nod.

Chen Ou wasn’t sure if that was agreement or not, but he pressed on: "First, your organization’s name."

Another long pause. Just as Chen Ou’s patience was running thin, Xue spoke.

"We call ourselves the Servants of the Divine."

What a spectacularly melodramatic name... Chen Ou sighed inwardly.

"How many members are in your organization?"

Another silence...

"I’m not sure. I’ve only met our guide, 'Dream,' and another high-ranking member, 'Psychic.'"

This time, she hesitated a bit less, her thoughts clearly coming back to her.

Still, Chen Ou could tell she was possibly stalling for time.

But as an upstanding young man, Chen Ou couldn’t bring himself to use torture, and besides, he was curious to see if Xue had any tricks left or if someone might come to rescue her. So, he let her drag things out.

Not that he recommended this way of thinking to anyone else. Unless, of course, you’ve eaten the Flame-Flame Fruit and are basically immortal...

Is their organization run on a need-to-know basis?

"Is there any way to contact your superiors?" Chen Ou asked blandly.

He could see a flicker of panic in Xue’s eyes.

"No."

"Liar."

Their exchange was swift and almost seamless, but in truth, it was a life-or-death game of wits.

They stared each other down for a long moment before Xue gave in. "I have a special communicator. If I break it, ‘Dream’ will come find me, but I don’t know exactly how long it would take."

Still a lie.

Chen Ou could tell easily.

Don’t ask how—let’s just say it’s a gift.

It was his unique talent, and it had always allowed him to thrive in his original world, which was another reason he never wanted to leave it in the first place.

But gold always shines, so in the world of Pokémon, Chen Ou remained a winner.

People like this really ought to be taken down, don’t you think?

"Tell me your organization’s purpose," he said, his voice growing cold—though only for effect.

He wasn’t about to get genuinely angry over such trivial matters; anger only hurts the liver...

What? Chen Ou is basically made of fire anyway? Well, never mind then...

But Xue dared not gamble on his temperament, so she answered quickly, "Our organization’s goal is to collect the tablets."

At that, Chen Ou, who had been brushing back his hair, froze completely when he heard the word "tablets."

"Say that again..."

Xue looked at Chen Ou in surprise, his expression now so twisted that it was indistinguishable from severe constipation...

"Our organization’s goal is to collect the tablets."

"Aaaaargh~~~"

Chen Ou clutched his head and let out a wail.

Why! If he’d committed a crime, Officer Jenny would come punish him—not drag him into these major affairs time and time again. He just wanted to be a peaceful, handsome young man!!!

After a moment, he jerked his head up and stared at Xue.

"Let’s make a deal. Forget everything you just told me. I didn’t hear a word. Say whatever you want to Officer Jenny later, but please, for the love of all that’s holy, don’t drag me into this!"

Xue was about to reply when a deep deer’s cry echoed from within the cave.

Chen Ou froze in place.

"Why did you come here?" he asked.

Xue glanced at Chen Ou’s face, which now looked utterly defeated, and for some reason, she almost wanted to laugh.

"I found traces of the Poison-type tablet here... I don’t know what it’s for, but the organization needs it, and they promised me a reward, so I came to look for it."

Hearing the echo of the deer’s call, Chen Ou closed his eyes.

"What on earth did I do to deserve this???"